The NFL released a partial list of pre-season games today. That means there is good news and bad news. The good news is, we will know who the Giants play during the four weeks of pre-season football. The bad news is, we do not have all of the dates or times locked down yet. The really good news is that the Giants play the Jets (the Jets are the home team) for the first Monday Night Football game of the pre-season, in the brand new Meadowlands Stadium. This is going to be a good game, even if it is a pre-season game. These teams have chips on their shoulders when it comes to NFL supremacy of the New York Metropolitan area. I expect a fight to the end and a great game. Here is what I have learned so far about the up coming games.

I wanted to post this tonight, so that members could view this great Steve Adubato interview with George Martin. Some of you have known me for a very long time and know how much I support what this man is doing for the 9/11 first responders. I have written 2 full articles about Big George and unfortunately, my efforts to get him a key to New York City did not work out. George Martin is just an incredible man and I hope you enjoy checking out this interview. I will add another full story, at a later time, with all of my opinions and thoughts about this true American Hero. I hope you will also visit his non-profit charity website and make a donation for the 9/11 first responders, if you are able to.

The link to the interview can be found in the comment area below. Enjoy!

The New York Giants have been back in the stadium for about a week now getting ready for next season. They have been attending the voluntary off season workouts (I use the term voluntary loosely here) in preparation for the 2010 campaign. The official site of the New York Giants had a bunch of videos recently posted there showing brief interviews with players. Everyone seemed very up beat and happy to get back to work. There was a great sense of pride on behalf of the players, who were interviews in the new facilities. The new locker room caught my attention on more then one occasion because it is so much of an upgrade from the old Giants stadium locker room (I had the pleasure of checking out the old locker room before they tore down the old stadium).

The best news I heard from all of the interviews, was the fact that the running backs seem to be doing much better. We talked about the Running back situation a little bit in our previous story called New York Giants: Danny Ware are you? Hearing that kind of positivity straight from the mouths of the players helped me relax. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw in particular, seemed to be ready to get going, almost eager to start the season. These guys play with a lot of pride and you could almost see the enormous chip on their shoulders as they spoke to the reporters. I like that, in fact I think the whole team will be playing with a chip on their shoulders this season. Last year was an embarrassment to the team and something they will surely rectify in 2010.

Did you get a chance to watch the short videos on Giants.com? What did you think about them?

The soap opera surrounding All Pro Giants DE Osi Umenyiora is becoming distracting. Giants fans are reading reports about him participating in the voluntary off-season program, otherwise known as, get to the stadium if you know what’s good for you. The coaches are giving him praise and have clearly said that they want him to remain on the team. Tom Coughlin not guaranteeing Osi a starting position is nothing new. Every year you can count on one thing when training camp starts and that is a sound byte of Coughlin saying that “competition is good”. Coach Coughlin believes in fair and honest competition and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, I am on Coughlin’s side with this one. The only person on the team, who I think you can honestly say is guaranteed a starting position, is QB Eli Manning.

I think the media is turning Osi into an issue. I think Osi is very happy in New York and just needs to shrug off a bad year in 2009. It happens to the best of them and how he conducts himself from this moment forward, will show what his character is made of. It seems like these media guys are constantly trying to get a “money shot” or “money quote” from Osi. Leave the man alone and let him go about his business is what I say. These same media guys will be all over his jock when he gets 15-20 sacks this season and re-emerges as a top tier defensive end. The guy missed an entire season not too long ago and needed some time to get his mojo back. His ego was bruised with embarrassment because of his down year and that is why reporters got some crazy statements from him at the end of last season. I think he will prove a lot of people wrong this year and I am glad the Giants organization will be keeping him.

The New York Giants recently signed RB Danny Ware to a one year contract. It makes me wonder why? Now, Danny Ware is a New York Giant and I mean no disrespect to the man personally but when you look at the numbers, anyone with common sense would ask why. Ware is entering his 4th season in New York and his overall numbers are 88 total yards, 1 TD and 1 lost fumble. That is amazing to me because I thought it would be much more before looking into it. To be fair, Ware has been hit by the injury bug pretty frequently in his short career. He played in only one game in 2007 for 0 yards 0 TD’s and only six games in 2008 for 15 yards 0 TD’s. Last season was his most productive playing in eight games for 73 yards 1 TD 1 lost fumble. Some have said that he is a favorite of Jerry Reese and that is the only reason why he remains on the team. I’m not sure to be honest, perhaps he is just a guy who has yet to get a shot at proving what he can do on the field. As a Giants fan, I hope that is the case because I would love to see Danny performing well. But with this being his fourth season, I think the clock is running out on the fans patience. That is a valuable roster spot he occupies and if Ware doesn’t show the team and fans something this season, he will most likely be gone next year.

As of today, the Giants have 6 running backs on the roster. They are Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, Danny Ware, Andre Brown, Gartrell Johnson and Jerome Johnson. By the time the regular season starts, one of these guys will be gone for sure. Will the G-men invest time and energy into pursuing another running back? I don’t know. I have not lost faith in Jacobs and Bradshaw being a powerful one-two punch in this league. I hope they are fully healthy this season and can perform at a high level, like they have in the past. I believe they will. I am also extremely excited to see what Andre Brown can do. I love Madison Hedgecock as our fullback, plowing through defensive lines and making holes for our RB’s. I hope he stays with the team for the remainder of his career.

What do you think about the current running back situation in New York?

The New York Giants resigned defensive end Dave Tollefson yesterday to a one year contract. Tollefson has spent the past three seasons with the G-men, after being drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2006. This is a good sign that Jerry Reese is paying attention to the pass rush and wants to keep his DE’s deep. With Justin Tuck and Osi as the clear starters, it’s nice to know we have Kiwi as a primary backup to the stars. Kiwi is someone who could probably start on most NFL teams right now. Behind those three guys we have some depth with Tollefson, Canty who can play both DT and DE and Tommie Hill. Much to my surprise, the defensive end position is not as deep as I thought it was. The Giants have 5 DT’s and 5 DE’s with Canty as a flip flop guy who can play both spots. That’s 11 players between the two positions with only 5 true DE’s. I would not be surprised to see Jerry Reese bring in another DE via free agency.

The Giants might look to grab another hybrid type of player in the upcoming NFL Draft. Someone who can play both the DE and DT positions like Chris Canty. Some have said that just because the Giants have signed Tollefson, a restricted free agent, there is no guarantee that he will still be on the team when the season starts. After taking a look at the roster, I think it is more then likely that he will be. Tollefson knows the system and has been a serviceable player thus far. The Giants also have a bunch of players on the cusp of being signed.

Things are moving so quickly, that it is difficult to keep up with the player exodus to St Louis. Not only did CB Kevin Dockery sign with the Rams yesterday but so did TE Darcy Johnson. St Louis might as well be called “New York West” from this point forward. Rams Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo (beloved former Giants defensive coordinator) continues to grab former Giants players and make them a part of his roster. Johnson, like Dockery, spent his entire NFL career with the New York Giants. Johnson was used as more of a blocker then a true tight end but none the less, he was effective at his job.

At this point, I think this is truly a rebuilding process that we are witnessing. Call it what you want, trimming the fat or shedding dead weight but there is no denying that the 2010 New York Giants will have a ton of new faces but on the field and in the coaches offices. Not a major rebuilding but yet a two story house maybe. Most Giants fans should take a step back at this point and assess where we are at, as of today. How many players have we lost and at what positions? Who have we brought in and what positions are still vulnerable? Who is still left in free agency that might help the team? How does the recent player transactions effect who the G-men take in the NFL Draft?

So many questions and not enough answers. We must have faith in GM Jerry Reese and the genius he has shown in previous off seasons. I am a fan of Jerry Reese and have faith that he will do the right thing and make us a better team. 2009 was not his fault. Last season was the worst season in recent memory for player injuries and that is what destroyed our season, period. Hopefully, fans will not have to endure another painful season such as last year. We have players coming back at full health and new players to add to the mix. This is good news for Giants fans.

What do you think about Big Blue letting TE Darcy Johnson go to the Rams?

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